About Us

Mary Chestnut-Smith, who backboned Avery High's women's soccer team to the state finals, will be back on the pitch next weekend.

The rising senior, who tallied 33 goals and 28 assists, has been selected to play in the North Carolina State Games soccer tournament June 26-27 at Queens University in Charlotte. Chestnut-Smith will play for the West all-stars, who begin tournament play next Saturday morning at 10 am against the South. The medal round will be played on Sunday.Chestnut-Smith put together quite a year for the Vikings athletically. She participated in five sports this season: cross country, golf, basketball, track and soccer. Chestnut-Smith, the Western Highland Conference Female Athlete of the Year, was also runner of the year in track (she finished second in the 800 meter run and fourth in the 1600 meter run at the Class 1A state meet), and she was an all-Conference, an All-Region 10 and All-State performer in Class 1A on the pitch in women's soccer.The Vikings (20-2-2), led by coach Tom Evaul, reached the Class 1A state championship game, but lost to Southwest Onslow by a 2-0 score in the finals at North Carolina State University in Raleigh on May 29.For the first time in memory, the Watauga High soccer men's and women's soccer program will not have any players competing at the state games this season. According to West women's coach Jason Dragoon of East Lincoln and men's coach Brian Jillings of Hickory, WHS did not have any players at the tryouts this past spring.